Article

Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability. Individuals
poststroke possess less than half of the cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) as their
nonstroke counterparts, leading to inactivity, deconditioning, and an increased
risk of cardiovascular events. Preserving cardiovascular health is critical to
lower stroke risk; however, stroke rehabilitation typically provides limited
opportunity for cardiovascular exercise. Optimal cardiovascular training
parameters to maximize recovery in stroke survivors also remains unknown. While
stroke rehabilitation recommendations suggest the use of moderate-intensity
continuous exercise (MICE) to improve CRF, neither is it routinely implemented in
clinical practice, nor is the intensity always sufficient to elicit a training
effect. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has emerged as a potentially
effective alternative that encompasses brief high-intensity bursts of exercise
interspersed with bouts of recovery, aiming to maximize cardiovascular exercise
intensity in a time-efficient manner. HIIT may provide an alternative exercise
intervention and invoke more pronounced benefits poststroke. OBJECTIVES: To
provide an updated review of HIIT poststroke through ( a) synthesizing current
evidence; ( b) proposing preliminary considerations of HIIT parameters to
optimize benefit; ( c) discussing potential mechanisms underlying changes in
function, cardiovascular health, and neuroplasticity following HIIT; and ( d)
discussing clinical implications and directions for future research. RESULTS:
Preliminary evidence from 10 studies report HIIT-associated improvements in
functional, cardiovascular, and neuroplastic outcomes poststroke; however,
optimal HIIT parameters remain unknown. CONCLUSION: Larger randomized controlled
trials are necessary to establish ( a) effectiveness, safety, and optimal
training parameters within more heterogeneous poststroke populations; (b)
potential mechanisms of HIIT-associated improvements; and ( c) adherence and
psychosocial outcomes.

Langue : ANGLAIS